Love Online
by RatedrKjErIcHo
Summary: A fiery diva, a wounded viper and an online dating service can spell one of two things: Love or Disaster.
1. Chapter 1

Mara walked through the hallways on Smack Down and sighed to herself. She was excited to be there. It was a fresh start for her. A break from the drama she'd been embroiled in when Phil had taken the storyline a little too seriously. She'd tried to ignore it at first. Tried to brush it off. But he started spending more and more time with AJ and it had all come to a head backstage one night.

XXXXXXXFlashbackXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"What the fuck is your problem Mara?"

"My problem? You're the one walking around here with this huge ass chip on your shoulder. You're the one who was in AJ's locker room for three hours earlier. You're the one who's completely blown off your friends because you've got that fucking belt around your waist. You've changed Phil and I don't like it."

"I'm the same as I always was. You just can't see it. I've worked my ass off and when I finally get the least little bit of respect, you want me to give it up so that I can spend all my time with you? No fucking way that's going to happen. If you'd love me, you'd be more understanding."

"The same could be said for you. I think we need a break. I'm going to head home."

"Pack while you're there. We need more than a break. We need other people in our lives. I think we're done. I talked to Vince earlier. You're being transferred to Smack Down in a few weeks. As soon as your storyline with Randa and Mike has run its course." He said as he walked out of the locker room.

XXXXXXXXXEnd of FlashbackXXXXXXXXXXX

She'd been on Smack Down for a little over three months now. Mostly backstage segments. But she'd been promised a match against Layla soon and she was looking forward to it. She looked down at her phone as it rang and rolled her eyes when she saw it was Randa.

"What's up?"

"Just calling to check on you girl. It's been nearly a week since we talked last."

"I'm doing alright."

"Liar. But it's understandable. You're one of the most talented divas in the whole damn company and they aren't doing shit with you. Standing backstage with Justin Gabriel and the rest of the unused talent? That is so not what should be happening. Speaking of Justin, he's pretty cute right?"

"Don't Randa. The last guy you tried to set me up with ended up being Heath Slater and that did not end well."

"That was totally not my doing and you know it. Listen, Mike and I will be there next week. Can you at least give it a shot?"

"No. I don't need a man."

"Fine. I will see you next week. I'll drag Janie with me if I can get her away from Cena long enough. We'll have lunch."

"Alright. Sounds good to me. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Bye girlie." Mara hung up the phone and continued walking down the hallway. She'd somehow let Randa and Janie talking her into "getting back on the horse" as they called it shortly after she'd come over to the Smack Down roster. It had turned out to be a complete disaster. Since then, she'd sworn off men and letting her friends set her up. She looked up when she heard a gruff male voice beside her.

"Watch where you're going." She looked up and rolled her eyes as soon as she looked into his face. It had become almost an involuntary reflex whenever she had the misfortune of running into him, which seemed to be everywhere she turned these days. Most women wouldn't have seen it as a bad thing. Running into the six foot tall, tanned, tattooed blue eyed man. But she'd seriously grown to hate the sight of him. He was cocky and walked around like he owned the place. And it reminded her so much of the way Phil had been in their last few months together. She put her phone in her pocket, crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't scared of him and she wasn't afraid to tell him exactly what she thought of him.

"I was walking here first."

"I'm sorry. I didn't see the sign that said this was your hallway."

"It's not my hallway but if your Neanderthal brain wasn't so set on thinking you were the greatest thing on two legs, you'd have seen me."

"Yeah, I'm the one who needs to watch where I'm going." He said as he brushed his hands down his shirt that was now covered in coffee. "I don't even know why there's a diva's division. You're all the same."

"Really? And how are we?"

"A waste of space." He said as he brushed past her and continued walking. She looked at him for a moment before she shook her head and kept walking. She couldn't understand what his problem was. He'd been a gigantic pain in her ass since she'd come over to the brand. Granted, his appearances on RAW had done little to foster a good relationship between them. They'd never really spoken to each other until she'd been transferred. But he'd seemed to have a bug up his butt from the day she'd first graced the hallways and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Yet, they seemed to keep running into each other backstage. And his dislike for her had eventually become contagious. One thing had become abundantly clear to everyone on the Smack Down roster, Mara and the Viper Randy Orton did not like each other. At All.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I apologize for the delay in updating this story. I have been terribly busy with work, school and my daughter. You know….life. LOL. Anyways, here is the second chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it and I promise to have the next chapter up soon. Enjoy.

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Randy stormed into the locker room cussing under his breath and pulled his shirt over his head. He couldn't believe the nerve of that girl. Just because she'd come over from RAW, she thought she owned everything. She was just like the rest of those girls. Worthless. He pulled a fresh shirt out of his bag and put it on sitting down on the bench in the locker room. He couldn't let her get to him. He had to focus on his match later that night with Wade. He looked up when the man in question came into the locker room.

"I see you've had another run in with your favorite diva."

"Yeah. She's such an airhead like the rest of them. Can't walk and chew gum at the same time."

"Me thinks thou dost protest too much."

"Leave it to the Brit to go right to Shakespeare." Randy said causing Wade to look at him. "What?"

"You knew who Shakespeare was and you didn't deny your affection for Mara."

"I'm not some uneducated Neanderthal. And I didn't deny anything because there is nothing to deny. I hate her."

"Right. And Kelly's breasts are real." Wade said smiling. "Now if you can drag yourself away from your lady love long enough we need to map out our match." Randy nodded and they headed out to the ring. He suddenly wondered if everyone thought of him as the hothead that Mara had accused him of being. And then he shook his head. He was just replaying the words that she'd used in his head. It didn't mean anything. Nothing any of those girls said to him meant a damn thing. He was done with the whole dating thing. It was a well- known fact that Randy and his last girlfriend had had pretty nasty breakup. Voices were raised, names were called and he'd almost gotten a suspension out of it when she'd turned up the next Monday night for RAW with a giant bruise on her arm trying to pin the blame on him.

There had been a few that had believed her story. There had been fewer who knew the truth and ever since, he'd vowed he'd never again date anyone he worked with. And he hadn't. He'd had a very casual arrangement with one of his friends. Just sex when they both needed it. Nothing more. Nothing less. And the arrangement had worked out well. Until John had gotten wind of it. And he'd spent an hour grilling him about how it had started in the first place and his emotional attachment to Candice. And he'd told John to relax and that he had it all under control. And he did. For a while. But the longer it went on, the emptier he felt when he'd wake up after a night spent with her and he'd be all alone. After a while, he'd ended it.

John had been on him to settle down. To give love another chance. But he hadn't yet. And he doubted he would. No matter how much he wanted it. He broke out of his thoughts as his phone rang.

"Cena, finally get Janie off your dick long enough to return a call."

"Don't be jealous because I get sex regularly."  
"I could get it if I wanted it."

"Right. Anyways, Janie and I are going to be in town next week. You wanna have dinner?"

"And watch you pretty much dry hump at the table, no thank you."

"I promise to be on my best behavior."

"I don't know maybe. Call me back later about it."

"Alright. But you know Janie. She's pushy and she won't give up until you say yes."

"And I appreciate the love I do. But I think I still might pass."

"When are you going to let it go and move on?"

"Let what go?"

"You know damn well what."

"It's gone."

"Bullshit."

"I've moved on."

"Alright. But if you keep on like this, you're going to end up old and alone. Wouldn't it be easier to just tell everyone the truth?"

"I don't give a fuck what everyone around here thinks. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. She's with Mark now."

"It matters that she's a lying conniving bitch who's completely turned you off to love." John said.

"No, it doesn't. Look, I gotta get ready for the beginning of the show. I'll see you later." He hung up before John could say anything else. He shook his head. John was the eternal optimist. A hopeless romantic who believed that love really could conquer all. And Randy had learned the hard way that was never the case. And the whole thing with Michelle had made him give up on love completely. He didn't want it. He didn't need it. And he damn sure wasn't going to let his friends sit there and rub it in his face that they had it and he didn't. He walked out of the locker room and headed to catering again hoping that he didn't run into Michelle or into Mara again. In his opinion, they were the same. Nothing but trouble. He groaned inwardly when he saw Michelle standing there talking to Layla. He took a seat at a table closer to the door. He was praying to God that they just walked on by and didn't say anything to him. And he got his wish. Sort of. They walked out of catering and walked off after giving him a dirty look each and kept on walking. He'd tolerated Layla before because she was dating Cody and he had to admit that she wasn't quite as bad as the rest of them. But he still thought that the divas were all the same. And he wasn't going to waste anymore of his time on any of them.


	3. Chapter 3

"An online dating site? Are you crazy?"

"What? Mike's friend found love on there. Why not? The dating pool around here isn't exactly teaming with possibilities now is it? Unless you wanted someone like Dolph or Randy." Randa said. Mara rolled her eyes at the mention of the latter man's name. "I mean they may be assholes but at least they're cute and you'd be used to that considering you dated Phil and all."

"Phil wasn't always an asshole."

"He wasn't Mr. Congeniality either now was he? And it only got worse when he started buying into the storyline and believing his own bullshit. You need to get over that loser and get back out there. And if you won't find a guy around here, maybe you'll have better luck finding one online. Just make sure you ask for a picture so that you don't end up with some nerd who lives in his mama's basement." Randa said. "I just want to see you happy. You deserve that. "

"I appreciate your concern but I'm fine. "

"Really?"

"Yeah. And you've been dating Mike for way too long. He's starting to rub off on you." Mara said with a smile.

"At least I've got a man." Randa said back smiling. "Now come on. We've got to meet Janie in catering before she gets another craving for Cena's face." Mara laughed and they walked down toward catering.

"You started an online dating profile for me?" Randy asked looking between John and Janie.

"You can't spend all your time working out or sulking in the locker room. You're a great guy and you haven't dated anyone since that bitch spread that rumor about you. You need to get out there and show everyone that you're not this big, bad monster you want everyone to think you are." Janie said.

"Maybe I am as bad as everyone thinks."

"And maybe John's going to sprout wings and fly." Janie said. "Besides, it's done. I know way too much about you by the way. All you have to do is sign in and start browsing the site for girls." Randy looked at John.

"Your girlfriend is unbelievable."

"He tells me that just about every day." John laughed.  
"I don't think he meant it the way you took it." John said.

"Well, whatever. I'm off to meet the girls at catering. I will see you guys later." She said as she kissed John and gave Randy a hug. "Don't let that bitch ruin you for other women. You have so much to offer and if you just let someone see that, you'd be a lot better off."

"Basically she's saying you need to find a nice girl and get laid." John said. Janie laughed as she walked out of the locker room and headed toward catering.

"I can't believe she did that to me."

"She did it for you." John said. "I know she's pushy and she meddles but she only has your best interest at heart. She wants you to be happy."

"I'm happy."

"No you're not."

What would you know about it?"

"More than you think. You walk around here with this huge chip on your shoulder. You don't like any of the divas, you only like Randa and Janie because they're with me and Mike and they knew you before Michelle lied."

"Maybe I'm being myself."

"Who are you trying to lie to, Randy? Me or yourself?" John said as he walked out of the locker room.

Later that night, Randy sat in his hotel room looking at the slip of paper with Janie's handwriting on it. He'd been battling himself all day about whether or not he should even log in. He didn't need love. He didn't want love. But he sighed to himself as the thought crossed his mind. Well, that and the sounds floating through the wall on either side of him. He threw the paper down on the desk in the room and pulled his laptop and headphones from his bag. What the hell? It would kill a couple of hours and he could put his headphones in and drown out the noise. Noise that was kind of disgusting him at the moment.

Mara sat in her hotel room, the website open in her web browser. Randa had been pushing it all afternoon and it had only gotten worse when Janie had joined them. So in order to shut them up, she'd agreed to start a profile and see what happened. She'd just finished making the profile and rolled her eyes when she heard the noise from next door. She pulled out her headphones and waited for something to happen. She really didn't expect much from this but it would kill a little time and it would be better than listening to Randa and Mike for the rest of the night. She'd have to remember to return the favor if anything came out of this online thing, she told herself. She rolled her eyes as a private message came through. She almost didn't open it. The screen name was so ridiculous. Singlesexyguy. But she really didn't have anything better to do. She clicked on the link and opened the message. **Read your profile. You seem like a nice person. Maybe we could chat? **She shrugged her shoulders and answered back. **Sure.** She opened up a chat room and sent him the information.

Randy smiled and entered the chat room. Her name was absurd. BrunetteBombshell. Obviously made up by a friend. At least he hoped. He looked up at the screen when he saw a message come through.

**BrunetteBombshell: Is there a story behind your screen name?**

**Singlesexyguy: It's horrible isn't it? My best friend's girlfriend started this profile because I don't get out enough. She's the one who picked it.**

**BrunetteBombshell: I can relate. I have a friend who tells me I need to get back out there. I was dating someone for a while and we broke up a little over three months ago. Now my friend keeps telling me to move on. **

**Singlesexyguy: Sounds like it was a pretty bad breakup. Been through one of those before myself.**

**BrunetteBombshell: So you've had a bad breakup and you have pushy friends. Looks like we have something in common. **

**Singlesexyguy: Seems we do. So if you could have picked your own screen name, what would it be?**

**BrunetteBombshell: Definitely something that has nothing to do with my looks. **

**Singlesexyguy: Same here.**

**BrunetteBombshell: You know my friend who told me to start this profile told me to ask for a picture. So what do you look like? Just curious.**

**SInglesexyguy: I don't know. A little over six foot, dark hair, blue eyes, tattoos. You?**

**BrunetteBombshell: 5'6" athletic, dark hair, hazel eyes.**

**Singlesexyguy: Sounds like your name fits you.**

**BrunetteBombshell: Same could be said for you.**

**SInglesexyguy: I really hate to cut this short but I've got to get up early for work in the morning and it's been a long day. You wanna chat again tomorrow?**

**BrunetteBombshell: Yeah, that would be nice. I understand. I have to get up early for work too. I guess I'll talk to you later?**

**Singlesexyguy: Yeah. Sounds good. Night.**

Randy signed off and turned off the computer. Even with her ridiculous name, she seemed nice. And he liked talking to her. Maybe this online thing wouldn't be so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Randy sat in catering staring at the message on his phone, a huge smile on his face. It had been nearly a month since he'd started talking to Brunette Bombshell and they had really gotten to know each other. They'd shared things about their families, their likes and dislikes and their greatest insecurities and fears. And as much as he liked the online contact, he was itching to meet her in real life. But there were still things that they didn't know about each other. Like what they did for a living and what their real names were. He looked up when John and Janie sat down across from him, the smile still on his face.

"And what's got you in such a good mood today?"

"Nothing." He said as he closed his phone and looked them. Janie looked at him a little suspiciously as he kept eyeing his phone and reached over and snatched it as it went off again. Randy huffed a little and hung his head knowing that she was going to make a big deal about the fact that he was talking to some girl off the dating site.

"Who's Brunette Bombshell?" She asked as she smiled at him.

He shrugged. "Nobody." He said as he grabbed his phone back.

"Didn't look like nobody to me." She said laughing. "By the way, she said yes." Randy looked up at her for a moment with an amazed look on his face and then smiled.

"She said yes?" Janie nodded. John looked from his girlfriend to his best friend, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Who said yes to what?"

"Our dear little Randy has taken advantage of the dating site I set him up on and has been talking to a girl named Brunette Bombshell. He asked her if she wanted to meet. She said yes. She'll be in Tampa next week."

"Well it's about damn time you put yourself back out there." John said smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. I really appreciate the moral support. Now, I have to go. I'll see you guys later." He said as he got up from the table and walked out of catering, the smile still spread across his face.

"And tonight, we have a match against Janie and Natalya. You wanna head out after and grab a few drinks? Maybe we can talk about the fact that aliens are rumored to land next week and why you have your nose buried in your phone." Randa said as she grabbed Mara's phone from her amid protests from the other diva. "You dirty little sneak! You've been holding out on me. You never told me that you had signed up for that dating site of that you were talking to some random hot guy."

"Because I knew you'd get all girly and make a huge deal out of it when it isn't one." Mara said as she pulled her phone away from her friend. "We've been talking for the last month or so. He's a really nice guy. We've talked about books, movies, music. Everything. And he's asked me to meet him face to face."

"Oh My God! This is amazing." Randa said causing Mara to laugh and shake her head as she looked over at Mike.

"I really feel bad for you sometimes. Why you married her is beyond me." Mike laughed and looked at her.

"Because she's awesome in every way and she's adorable when she gets excited or mad." Mike said.

"If in every way means what I think it means then ewww." Mara said laughing.

"So where are you going to meet him?"

"I was thinking at The Cherry Bomb." Mara said

"I love that place."

"No."

"Mara."

"No Randa. I know that look and you cannot come on my date and scout him out. It's creepy and weird and hasn't worked since I did it for you and Mike." Mike looked at Randa and then Mara.

"You had her come with you to scout me?"

"Well yeah. If you were going to be an ass, I was going to leave. But she said you were hot and she was totally right. And sometimes you're an ass and I still haven't left yet." Mike's face fell and Mara laughed.

"On that note, before Mike gets all angry and this turns inappropriate, I'm heading to catering. I'll catch you guys later." She said as she walked out of the locker room. Her phone beeped in her hand and she smiled as she looked down and saw that her mystery man had replied to confirm their date, the place and the time. She didn't even notice that someone was walking down the hallway toward her until she'd once again bumped into Randy. He rolled his eyes as he looked down at her and offered his hand to help her up off the floor. She swatted his hand away and picked herself up off the floor. "God, and this day was going so well too."

"You think this is a picnic for me running into you princess? This wouldn't have happened if you were again watching where you were going."

"I wasn't the only one whose mind was a million miles away." She said as Randy slid his phone back into his pocket. "Arranging a hot date with a hooker later?"

"If I wanted to do that, I'd go trolling in the diva's locker room." He said. "What about you? Stocking up on batteries?"

"And that would still be more satisfying than a single second longer with you." She said as she brushed past him and walked toward catering. He turned to watch her as she walked away and shook his head. He didn't know why he was letting her get under his skin. He walked into his locker room and smiled as he reached into his pocket and saw that he had another message from his Brunette Bombshell.

**Brunette Bombshell: Sorry. Had a run in with the company dickhead. He walks around like he's holier than thou when he's the biggest asshole on the planet.**

**SexySingleGuy: LOL. I can understand. I just had a run in with the Dragonlady. She thinks she's God's gift when she's really just a desperate shrew.**

**Brunette Bombshell: We work with a couple of winners huh?**

**SexySingleGuy: Yeah I guess we do. But enough about them. I'll see you Thursday at the Cherry Bomb?**

**Brunette Bombshell: It's a date.**


	5. Chapter 5

Randy looked at Janie like she was insane when she held the suit up for him. "Just try it."

"No."

"You want to look nice right?"

"I want to be comfortable. And wouldn't it be like false pretenses if I showed up in a suit and I'd rather be in jeans?"

"You're going to wear jeans on some stupid t-shirt aren't you?"

"No. I'm not wearing John or Mike's merchandise." He said cracking a smile at the look on John's face.

"I think you're right. I think he needs to try the suit." John said causing his friend to look at him.

"That is not going to happen."

"Did you get her flowers?"

"People still do that?"

"Yeah. It's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"No, I didn't get her flowers."

"You should stop on your way."

"Why are you more nervous about this than I am?"

"This is exciting. Your first date since…."

"It's not really a date is it? I mean technically it's drinks with a friend."

"A friend you've been glued to talking to every single waking moment of every day for the last month. It's a date. Buy her flowers. How are you going to recognize her anyway?"

"She told me what she'd be wearing."

"Good thing she told you in advance. That way you can predetermine how long it will take you to get her out of them."

"What makes you think I'm going to sleep with her on the first night?"

"You mean you're not?"

"The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."

"Wow, I don't think I've seen much of this side of you. You really like her?"

"Yeah I do. So flowers?" Janie nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. Flowers."

Mara stood in front of the mirror adjusting her makeup and looking at the black top and jeans she'd chosen to wear. She slid her boots on and took a deep breath. She didn't know why she was nervous exactly. She'd been talking to him every day for the last month. She'd told him things that she'd never told anyone else. Things Randa didn't even know. And she told Randa everything. She sighed when there was a knock on the door and Randa came bouncing in.

"You look smoking hot." Randa said smiling.

"Thanks. Now why are you here?"

"Just came to say hi."

"And see if you could tag along again on my date?"

"Is that tonight?"

"You're not an idiot. You knew when it was and the answer is no. You have a husband and we have a few days off. Go spend time with him."

"Do I have to?" Randa whined mockingly. Mara laughed.

"We'll have lunch tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it okay?"

"Promise?"

"Yeah. I promise. Now go have sex with your husband and let me go on this date." Randa hugged her and walked out the door. Mara laughed a little and shook her head as she drove the couple of blocks to the bar and walked up to the bar ordering herself a drink. She looked around and didn't see anyone who looked like they could be waiting. She shrugged to herself and tucked some hair behind her ear. She must have been a little earlier than he was.

Randy sat out in his car for a minute looking at the flowers he'd bought for her. It had taken him half an hour to get John and Janie out of his house so that he could get ready to go. Then he'd driven to the flower shop and picked her out some flowers. The nerves were starting to get to him. And he couldn't understand it. He'd talked to her every day. He'd told her things he hadn't told anyone else. Maybe that's part of what made this so nerve-wracking. She knew him. Really knew him. And he hadn't ever had that with anyone else. With one last deep breath, he got out of the car and walked across the parking lot toward the door of the bar.

Mara was sipping on her martini and looking at her watch. He was officially late and she was beginning to wonder if he'd changed his mind and stood her up. She picked up the glass, bringing it to her lips just as someone walked up behind her. She held her breath hoping it was him.

Randy walked in and looked around. Most everyone else seemed like they were with someone. Except the girl sitting at the bar with her back to him. She looked like she fit the bill. Dark hair that ran about half way down her back. She was wearing a black shirt, jeans and boots. He smiled a little to himself as he took her in. She was pretty and her description of herself didn't really do her justice. He walked up behind her, the flowers in his hand and took a breath.

"BrunetteBombshell?" he asked.

At the sound of his voice, she froze and sat the glass down jumping up and down slightly on the inside. She was glad she was wrong and hadn't been stood up and it actually took her a minute to turn around and look at him. When she did, her face fell. This had to be some sort of sick joke. Randy was standing behind her, flowers in hand.

Randy looked at her a little confused as she sat there looking at him, her amazement as clear on her face as his was. "You have got to be fucking kidding me. You're SexySingleGuy?"

"You're BrunetteBombshell?" He asked. The tone in his voice hurt her a little and that confused her a little more. He just stood there looking at her, boring into her with those gorgeous blue eyes. As soon as the words crossed her mind, she let out a breath. What was she thinking? She looked at him for a minute and then got up from the bar before he could say anything else. He looked after her for a second before realized how it sounded and went after her. He caught up with her in the parking lot.

"Wait. Mara, please wait."


	6. Chapter 6

"Let go of me Randy." Mara said as she pulled her arm away as he turned her around to face him in the parking lot as she reached her car.

"Would you stop and just talk to me for a minute?" She stood there looking up at him. "It's just a little bit of a shock that you're the girl I've been talking to for the last month."

"Why because I'm a dumb dragonlady, hooker diva who can't walk and chew gum at the same time?"

He smiled a little. "I can see where you would get that impression. And since we're on the subject, I'm an egotistical, self-centered asshole who thinks I'm God's gift." She stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Out of all the people on the planet, I end up talking to you on the stupid website."

"What are the odds?" he asked shrugging. He remembered the flowers and handed them to her. "I got these for BrunetteBombshell." Mara took them and looked at him. "I hope you like them."

"Their beautiful. My favorite."

"I remembered from our conversations." He said as they stood there.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said as he leaned back against the side of the car. "You wanna go get something to eat?"

"You still want to go out even though you know it's me?" He shrugged.

"We gotta eat right? And we can always make people stare in disbelief that we're out in public together and not trying to kill each other." He said causing her to smile. He smiled too. He got in the car on the passenger side. She stood there for a minute before she walked over and got in the driver's side of the car. She sat there for a minute and he looked over at her. "You look nice by the way."

"Which is the real you? The guy with the chip on his shoulder or the one sitting in my passenger seat bringing me flowers and spouting compliments?" She said as she shifted in the seat to look at him.

"Let's go eat and you can find out." She sat there just looking at him. "C'mon it's just dinner." She buckled her seatbelt and turned on the car.

"You look nice too." She said as they drove toward a restaurant. "So where do you want to eat?"

"I could go for a burger and a good beer." She nodded.

"I know just the place." A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of this little restaurant. Randy looked over at her. "It may not look like much on the outside, but the food is good, the beers are cold and we could sit and talk." He looked at her with a skeptical look on his face. "What have you got to lose?" He shrugged his shoulders and they got out of the car and walked inside. They ordered their food and sat down at a table just off the dance floor.

"So, after the initial shock and me having to chase you down into the parking lot, this is a little less awkward that it normally would be. I mean I hate first dates."

"Right? All that awkward getting to know you conversation." Mara said bringing the beer to her lips.

"Well we don't have to worry about that now do we?" he said smiling.

"Then what are we going to talk about?"

"You said you wanted to know which one was the real me. So let's ask each other questions."

"Such as?"

"Okay, True or False. You really read all the books you say you have."

"True. True of False. You really had no idea it was me you were talking to."

"True." They looked up as their food came and they continued to play the True or False game as they ate. A few hours and a few more beers later, they'd pretty much confirmed everything they'd already come to know about each other and dismissed a few rumors that they'd each heard. Mara looked over at him as he laughed at the question she'd just asked him. She'd never really looked at him much before but she'd gotten a chance to study him tonight and she had to admit to herself that he was gorgeous. Those blue eyes seemed to look down into your very soul and see the truth even if you were trying to hide it. She'd let her eyes wander over his muscular chest and the washboard abs that hid underneath his t-shirt. She pushed the rest of her beer away from her as the thought of what it would be like to run her hand across them and snake up his tan skin.

"Mara…..you okay?" he asked putting his hand on her arm and causing her to look at him.

"Huh?"

"You okay? You got quiet on me and it's your turn to answer. True or False. You're actually having a good time." She looked over at him again.

"True. True or False. So are you." He took another long drink of his beer and looked over at her as she sat peeling the label from the bottle. He sat the bottle down and watched as she tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear and slid her tongue along her cherry colored lips. He was willing to bet that's what they tasted like. Cherries and the sweet amber flavor of the beer. He suddenly wanted to taste them and see if he was right. He looked up at her eyes again as she waited for his answer and smiled slightly.

"True." She smiled and lifted her beer to her lips again before looking up at the bartender as he came over.

"Sorry folks. But we're getting ready to close." Mara looked at her watch and then at Randy.

"It's almost two AM."

"Guess time flies when you're having fun. But it is getting late. We should probably go." He stood up from the table and reached out to steady her as she stumbled a little. She looked at him, her eyes locked with his for a moment and then stood herself up straight. "Maybe I should drive you home. Just so you get there safely." He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't object and handed him her keys. They walked out to her car, neither of them saying anything about the sudden spark of electricity that seemed to be in the air around them. Randy pulled up in front of her house and turned the car off before he turned to look at her. "I'll call a cab to take me back to my car." She nodded. "Maybe….if you wanted to, we could do this again sometime. You know, just hang out." She nodded again and smiled.

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this but I'd like that." He walked her up to her door and stood there with her as she unlocked the door. "I had a really great time with you. And I never thought I'd hear myself say that either." He laughed a little and nodded. "Can I give you a hug goodnight?"

"Sure." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist holding her against him for a few minutes before he pulled away and looked at her. Before he could decide against it, he leaned in and touched his lips softly to hers. It was brief and soft. Like a flutter of a feather or a whisper. But it sent shockwaves through them both. He pulled away and looked at her again before she whispered goodnight and walked into the house alone. He stood there looking at the door for a few minutes, a small disbelieving smile on his face before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called a cab. This had changed things between them. And he didn't know exactly what it meant.


	7. Chapter 7

Mara went to bed, the kiss still playing in her mind. And that illicited all kinds of dreams. She's pulled Randy into the house with her, their lips meeting again in a more passionate, more heated kiss. She could feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers, his fingers kneeding into her back and crumbling into her hair. She could feel his breath on her skin as his lips trailed lower and lower on her neck.

In all the time she'd known him, she's never let herself picture him like this. A brutally hot man, his blue eyes burning with need and desire, all of it directed at her. She groaned inwardly and her eyes fluttered open, her mind and body yelling at her to stay asleep and stay locked away in the passion of Randy's arms. But the banging on the door became more insistent and she muttered a silent curse word to herself as she slipped on her robe and answered the door, not at all surprised to see Randa standing there.

"Why the hell are you here so early?" Mara asked running her hands through her dark hair.

"Early? It's 12:30 in the afternoon and you stood me up for lunch. Which either means your date went well or it was a disaster."

"It was…..interesting." Mara said biting her lip.

"Uh oh. What? Was he an ugo? Hopeless nerd still living at home with mama? Unemployed loser?"

"No. He was none of those things. He was funny, charming, sweet. He has a great job and he's gorgeous."

"And the interesting part was?"

"It was Randy Orton."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Across town, Randy had settled back against the pillows of John and Janie's guest room having snuck in a little after 2:30. He hadn't been able to sleep since. The kiss kept replaying in his mind and he wondered why he'd done it, what it meant and why in God's name he hadn't taken it further. He'd tried to sleep after he'd gotten home but his mind had been filled with images of him and Mara tucked away inside her apartment, the only sounds filling the air the breathless moans escaping each of them as clothes were peeled away and new skin was lovingly and thoroughly explored. His mind was racing and somewhere around dawn, he'd given up trying to ignore his body's physical response to the images and the confusion and the strange satisfaction that they brought him. He'd never let himself see Mara the way he saw her in his mind. Beautiful, amazing and full of life. He'd spent the next hour working out, willing himself to do anything to make the images go away and then he'd used the images in the guest shower, the combination of the two sating his body into near exhaustion. But his mind continued to race with questions and images and he resisted the urge to call her.

Finally, with an exasperated sigh, he got out bed and ventured down the stairs to the kitchen where he heard John and Janie happily eating breakfast.

"Well, hey there sleepyhead. 'Bout time you joined the real world again. How was your date? You got home pretty late didn't you?" Janie said causing John to laugh.

"God, I always forget how hyper you are in the mornings. My date was…interesting."  
"How so? Was she not what you expected her to be?" Janie asked plating him some eggs.

"Definitely not." Randy said. "She was smart, funny, beautiful, sweet."

"Sounds like it was great. What's the big deal?"

"It was Mara." John spit his mouthful of coffee out and Janie looked at him a little surprised.

"Your mystery woman was Mara?"

"Yeah.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Randy?" Randa asked with a mixture of amazement and excitement.

"Yeah. He's actually…..a really nice guy."

"This is the same Randy that you wanted to kill last week right?"

"Yeah, it's the same guy. And….he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Randa almost squealed.

"Yeah, he did."  
"So what does this mean?" Mara sighed.

"I don't know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what does this mean?" John asked. Randy sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. But she's nothing like I thought she was."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mara sat in catering 10 days later. Randy had tried calling her a couple of times. But she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. Or if she was ready to hear what he had to tell her. She sat there nervously biting her lip and peeling small chunks of Styrofoam off the cup that sat in front of her. She cut her eyes upward as someone sat down in front of her and she smiled slightly when she saw it was Randy.

"You haven't returned any of my phone calls."

"Not true. I returned the one earlier today." She said as she continued to tear the cup to pieces. A small smile played on his lips and he sighed as he sat back in the chair. "People are starting to stare you know. Because we haven't torn into each other yet."

"I don't give a fuck what other people think." He said as he ran his hand over his chin. It was her turn to smile.

"Me either."

"We need to talk."

"I agree."

"I had a great time the other night."

"Me too."

He growled a little and she smirked. "Would you stop giving me two word answers?"

"Would you stop stating the obvious and get to whatever it is you want to talk about?"

"The kiss." She stopped picking at the cup then and smiled at him a little. "It was…..nice."

"Yeah, it was." She said as she folded her hands on the table in front of her.

"So what does it mean?"

"You tell me. You're the one who kissed me after all." He sat there for a moment, his aqua blue gaze fixed on her and she began to fidget a little in her seat. He seemed to be studying her and somehow having his eyes wash over her was exciting. He smiled then and she felt her pulse quicken a little.

"I think we should explore the option." He said. "Find out what it means." She sat there for a minute, her senses in overdrive and she looked up at him as he rose from the table and towered over her. She could see the look in his eyes, the humor that danced in them as what he was about to do. And without warning, he leaned in and kissed her causing an audible gasp from bystanders. He pulled back and looked at her, smiling. "I'll leave the choice up to you." And with that he walked out the door and headed down to his locker room.


	8. Chapter 8

Mara was walking down the hallway a little while later, the kiss from catering still on her mind. And that mixed with the dreams she'd been having for the last week and a half was making it harder for her mind to come up with a rational excuse not to give Randy a try. She passed by a monitor and saw that Randy's match was on. She watched as he looked like he was getting the upper hand and then out of nowhere, three guys dressed in riot gear came barreling through the crowd and jumped into the ring. Before she could even process what was happening, Randy was thrown out of the ring. She could tell by the way he landed on his shoulder that something was off.

Randy walked behind the curtain, the pain in his shoulder almost unbearable. That damn kid had thrown him awkwardly and he'd landed all wrong. They'd practiced it a million times before the show. He made his way to the trainer's room and waited to be examined. His mind wandered to Mara and if she'd seen the end of the match. Did she care that he'd gotten hurt? Had she been thinking about his proposition from earlier?

"It's separated. We're going to have to pop it back in place and we're going to give you some medicine for the pain. You're also going to have to stay out of the ring for at least three weeks until it heals." The trainer said. "And no driving."

"It's okay. I'll make sure he's taken care of." Mara said as she walked into the trainer's room with her stuff and Randy's. "Is it okay if he takes a shower in here?" The trainer nodded. "Thanks. I promise it'll be just a few minutes." The trainer gave Randy the medicine and left. Mara looked at him as she sat there. "Well don't just sit there looking at me all night. Get your smelly ass in the shower and get cleaned up. We've got to get your meds and get you back to the hotel to rest." He smiled and nodded as he got up and headed toward the shower. "So how'd it happen anyway?"

"Stupid Raines was supposed to throw me out of the ring a little more solidly than he did. I adjusted to make up for it and landed completely wrong."

"So it's your fault?"

"I'd say a good 25/75 split." He said laughing. She smiled as the sound of it echoed through the shower area.

"So 25 his fault and 75 yours?" she asked the obvious smile in her voice.

"How do you figure that?" he asked as he walked out of the shower area with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"If you'd had your mind on your match and not on me, you'd have been able to avoid this now wouldn't you?"

"If you'd have given me an answer instead of just sitting there earlier after I kissed you, I wouldn't have had to wonder." He said as he pulled the towel off and threw it to the side.

"You have no clue what the word modesty means do you?"

"Are you embarrassed that I'm standing here naked?"

"No."

"Do you like what you see?" She smiled a little and threw some clothes at him.

"Maybe. Now get dressed because we have a few stops to make and I'm hungry and tired."

"I'll get dressed if you tell me you've made a decision."

"I have and we can talk about it when we get back to the hotel. Now get dressed so we can go. I'll be right outside." She winked at him and walked just outside the door and he smiled and shook his head.

A half hour later, they were pulling up in the parking lot at the hotel. Mara pulled their bags out of the car and grabbed their bags of food and they headed up to the room. Randy was dying. Mara hadn't said anything about her decision. She hadn't even hinted at it. And the not knowing was driving him crazy. She opened the door to his hotel room and they both walked inside. They ate their food in silence, each of them stealing little glances at the other, neither of them saying a word. Mara smiled to herself. He was curious. He wanted to know. But he wasn't pushing her. Wasn't pressuring her to try and find out what she was thinking. He was giving her the space she needed to figure things out. And even though he was trying to play it cool, she could see the cloud of emotions in his blue eyes as he finished eating at looked over at her.

"Thanks for dinner." He said pushing the empty containers away from him.

"No problem." She said as she got up and gathered the stuff throwing it away. "You wanna watch tv?" He looked at her, the anticipation building with every second and shrugged. The action caused him to wince and she disappeared into the bathroom and came back a few minutes later with a glass of water and his pain medication. She held them out to him and he smiled and took them drinking the water down. "You go pick a movie, I've gotta use the restroom." She said. He nodded and walked over to the sofa as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He sighed as he plopped down thinking he'd screwed everything up. He'd been typical Randy and moved too fast and completely blown his chance. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she walked back into the room and sat down next to him wearing his tshirt. He looked over at her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She looked over at him and smiled. "I hope you don't mind. All of my luggage is in my room and you really shouldn't be alone with that pain medicine."

" 's….uh….fine." he said as his eyes wandered up her tanned legs and his mind ran through all the possibilities of what was hidden underneath the fabric of his much too big tshirt. She laughed.

"We probably should talk about the proposition from earlier."

"Probably." He said trying to sound as cool as possible.

"I've given it some thought and weighed all my options. And I think you're right. I think we should see where this goes."

"Really?" he asked, the amazement evident in his voice. She leaned in and kissed him, the bare skin of her leg slightly rubbing his hand. He opened his palm and rested it on her thigh just above her knee as he deepened the kiss before she pulled away.

"Really." He smiled and kissed her again softly before he pulled her to him and wrapped his good arm around her. She rested her head against his chest . She was nervous. But she was also excited to see where this would lead.


	9. Chapter 9

Mara woke up the next morning and smiled as she felt Randy's arms tighten around her. He kissed her gently on the forehead and pulled away to look at her for a moment.

"Good Morning." She said softly.

"Morning." He replied his voice slightly laced with sleep. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before he let her get up. He laid there on the bed looking at her, his arms resting underneath his head and smiled as he caught her eyes wandering over his exposed torso. "So….since we're kind of dating…..I gues…" He didn't finish his sentence as she climbed back on the bed and was straddling his waist, her lips inches from his.

"Let's get one thing straight right now….We're not kind of dating. We are dating. That's the only way this is going to work. You're not with any other girls and I'm not with any other guys." She said. "Got it?" He smiled and pulled her to him, his hand resting on the back of her head and kissed her deeply.

"I'm fine with that. Do you want to tell people?"

"I'll have to tell Randa. I tell her everything. And of course she'll tell Mike. You might as well tell Cena and Janie too."

"How about we invite them to breakfast and tell them all at one time?" Mara smiled and nodded. "Good." He said as he kissed her again.

"I'm going to head to my room and take a shower. I'll meet you back here in a few. Why don't you call and extend the invites while I'm gone?"

"Why don't you let me come take a shower with you?" She smirked.

"Maybe next time." She said as she kissed him and then headed back to her room. She quickly showered and changed and headed back to Randy's room stopping dead in her tracks when she opened the door and saw Candice Michelle sitting on the bed and Randy standing there rummaging through his suitcase in nothing but a towel. They both turned to look at her and Mara forced a smile.

"Hey, we were wondering when you were going to get back. I knocked on the door and Randy was just about to get in the shower. I needed his opinion on which shirt to wear today." Candice said. Mara nodded. "Well, I'll leave you guys alone." And with that she walked out of the room. Mara looked at Randy.

"What?"

"Your ex-girlfriend is sitting on the end of the bed and you're naked."

"You've got the wrong idea. She was never my girlfriend. She was just a friend I used to relieve tension when the need arose."

"My bad…..your former fuck buddy was sitting here on the end of the bed and you're naked except for your towel."

"And?"

"And what if that had been me standing there in a towel with Phil sitting on the end of my bed?"

"Wouldn't happen. Because you hate Phil." Randy said with a smirk. She sighed loudly and he looked at her. "If it bugs you that much, I'll talk to Candy about it okay?"

"Thank you." She said. "Now get dressed." He nodded and kissed her before he got dressed. She decided that she would have a talk with the dark haired diva herself.

An hour later, they were sitting in the restaurant with their friends and had just told them that they were dating. Randa was grinning from ear to ear. She couldn't have been happier for her friend. John, Mike and Janie were a little shocked but they were happy if Randy and Mara were.

"So what'd the doctor say about your shoulder?"

"It's separated and I'm out for three weeks. But I'll still be backstage and making appearances." Randy said.

"Good. It'll give you and Mara time to spend together." Randa said smiling. "We better get going if we're going to get in some training time before the show." They all packed up and headed to the arena. Randy sat there and watched them working out in the ring still feeling like this whole thing had been a dream. He'd never in a million years guessed he could have made such a connection with someone. Mara walked up to him a few minutes after the girls were done with training.

"I'm going to go shower and change and then we can hang out for a while if you want." She said. He nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek and she headed back into the diva's locker room. She had showered when she saw Michelle and Layla standing in the corner looking at her. She didn't think anything of it really. She'd known that Randy and Michelle had dated. That hadn't been a big secret.

"So Mara….word around backstage is that you've been sucking face with Randy." Michelle said. "Shame really. You had so much potential. He'll only ruin it for you."

"He won't ruin anything for me. He's actually a pretty nice guy once you get to know him." Mara said slipping on her top.

"Right. I thought so too. But you know that intensity that he has in the ring, it not simply confined to there. He brings it into all aspects of his life. And his temper tends to get the best of him sometimes. I found that out first hand." Michelle said.

"And why should I believe anything you tell me?"

"Because he grabbed my arm when we broke up and I sported around a bruise for more than a week because of it. I honestly thought Mark was going to kill him."

"Are you going around opening your slutty mouth spreading vicious rumors again?" Candice asked as she walked in from the shower area and started getting dressed. "He's happy Michelle and he's clearly over you so just let it be."

"And he was over me when he started fucking you?"

"I don't know that for sure but I never once heard him say a word about you the entire time we had our little arrangement." Candice said.

"You're just lucky you got out unscathed." Michelle said.

"And you're lucky that God doesn't always show his wrath with lightning bolts. Truth is you sleep with whoever is in power. You've been around the block a time or two. I know, that's like the pot calling the kettle black but at least I have enough self –respect to stay out of other people's business when I'm asked to. He's got a new girlfriend, leave it alone." Candice said.

"Why? What's she going to do about it?"

"Be your worst fucking nightmare." Mara said as she finished getting dressed and nodded to the dark haired diva who had come to her defense and then walked out of the locker room. How dare Michelle try to put any doubt in her head. She was about to walk out to the parking lot when she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Phil standing there with AJ.

"Phil, what are you doing here?"

"I'm the WWE champion. I can be where I want to be. "

"Right. Well, I gotta go. Someone's waiting for me."

"You're seeing someone?" He asked.

"Yeah. What'd you expect Phil? That I'd still be pining over you?"

"Who is it?"

"You ready to go babe?" Randy said walking up. Mara turned and looked at him and smiled, nodding.

"Yeah. Thanks." Mara said as she kissed him. She turned back to look at Phil. He was angry. He shook his head and smiled a little before he and AJ walked past them and he bumped Randy's shoulder.

"Hope you like being a punching bag." He said and he walked away. Mara looked at Randy as he stood there watching Phil continue down the hallway. She could tell that even though he was trying not to show it, Phil's words had affected him. She walked over and slipped her hand into his and he turned to look at her.

"Let's go hang out and you can tell me what really happened between you and Michelle." She said. He sighed deeply and narrowed his eyes at her pulling his hand away.

"Why what'd you hear?" He said.

"I won't believe anything I've heard until I hear it from you." She said.

"I don't want to talk about it." He said softly.

"But…Randy don't you think we should?"

"No." He said and walked away. She caught up to him.

"Randy…." He turned to look at her.

"I said I Didn't want to talk about it okay? Just leave it alone." He yelled. He walked down the hallway and she stood there and sighed before she headed to John's locker room. Maybe he'd be willing to tell her what happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Randy sighed as he walked out to the garage and got in his car. He stood outside the car for a minute before he punched the side of it, three or four times before he slid down beside it and ran his hands down his face. He still didn't like to talk about it. The night his relationship with Michelle ended. Or the fallout he'd felt from it for the next few months afterward.

XXXXXXXXFlashbackXXXXXXXXXX

"_I can't wait to head back to the hotel and just hang out for the rest of the night." Randy said as they walked to the car. He looked over at her, busy texting away on her phone and shook his head. She'd been like that for the last few weeks. Distant. Secretive. She'd put a password on her phone so that whenever it was laying around, he couldn't see the messages. He couldn't prove anything, but he was pretty sure that this new found secrecy had something to do with the time she'd started spending in Mark's locker "Michelle?"_

"_Huh? Oh, sorry….I wasn't listening. I was too busy reading the message Lay just sent me." She said. "What were you saying?"_

"_Nothing." He said as they got to the car and got in. She buckled her seatbelt and turned to look at him. They rode to the hotel in silence and got up to their room. Randy sat back and watched as Michelle walked into the bathroom and changed into a swimsuit and grabbed a towel. "Where are you running off to?"_

"_Oh, Lay asked if I wanted to head down to the pool for a little while. You don't mind do you?" He sighed and shook his head. "Great. I'll see you in a few hours." She said as she kissed him on the cheek and headed out of the room. He waited for a little while and then changed into his swim trunks and headed down to the pool. And his suspicions were confirmed. Michelle was backed against the wall of the pool, her top loose and her arms looped around Mark's neck. She opened her eyes when she heard him let out a breath of air and the expression on her face changed. Mark noticed the change in her expression and looked back over his shoulder to see Randy walking back toward the elevators. He turned back to look at Michelle again._

"_I thought you ended that."_

"_Not yet….give me fifteen and I will meet you in your room." Mark nodded and got himself together._

_Randy was pacing the hotel room by the time she got back up there. He was angry and hurt. And he just wanted her to get her stuff and get the hell out so that it could be over. His head shot up as the door to the room opened up. "I can explain." He heard and he stopped pacing and looked at her._

"_No need. Seeing you pretty much naked fucking Mark in the pool was explanation enough. Get your shit and get out. It's over." He said as he grabbed his jacket and headed out of the hotel. _

_XXXXXXXXENd of FlashbackXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

He hadn't even brushed her as he walked by her to leave the hotel. But she'd showed up at the arena the next day with a bruise on her arm claiming that he'd been furious when she got back to the room and he'd grabbed her. Her performance was complete with fake tears and the sympathetic ear of the most powerful man backstage other than Vince. He'd been condemned immediately by almost everyone. Only John, Janie, Randa, Mike and Candice had believed that he didn't know what the hell was going on. Mara wasn't asking a lot of him. Just to know the truth about what happened. And he knew if they were going to have an open and honest relationship, he'd have to tell her. But he didn't know how she would react.

Mara sat on the bench in John's locker room and watched as he paced around. "I told him he should have just told everyone the fucking truth to begin with. But he said it wouldn't have mattered. He never laid a hand on her. He has a temper but he would never hit a woman. He pays a fortune in rental car insurance though." John said. "And then he started having meaningless sex with Candice."

"Candice?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you that either I guess." John sighed. "They'd been hooking up for a few months when I found out and I went crazy on him. I told him that he needed to stop letting that bitch have such power over him and try and get back out there. He told me that things were Candice were working out well for him. But I didn't believe him. You could see that he just wanted something…more. A few weeks later, Candice came to him and broke it off. He was miserable until he started talking to you on that dating site. He's been like the old Randy the last couple of weeks. The one before Michelle turned everyone against him. And you did that. He's stubborn and can be a giant pain in the ass sometimes but if you really care about him and you really want to see where this goes, you've got to be willing to call him on his shit and make him open up to you." Mara nodded. "I bet he's in the parking garage. Go talk to him." Mara nodded and walked out to the parking garage and found Randy sitting on the ground by the car. She stood there for a minute just watching him. His arms were resting on his knees and his long fingers were on either side of his head. She looked at the car and then at his bruised knuckles before she sat her bag down and joined him on the ground by the car. He looked over at her, almost surprised that she was there.

"I think we need to talk about this." She said. He nodded.

"I'll talk to you about Michelle if you tell me what really happened with Phil." He said.

"Okay. But I want to know about Candice too." Randy nodded.  
"Let's head back to the hotel."


	11. Chapter 11

Mara walked into the hotel room and sat down on the bed. Randy shut the door and then paced the room in front of her. He was nervous about this. Nervous as to how she'd react to the truth. And if she would believe him. He turned to look at her when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"You're making me nervous. Just sit down and talk to me." She said. He nodded and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Michelle and I dated for a about a year. Everything was great at first. She was loving, attentive. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her. Then she started spending more and more time in Mark's locker room. She became distant and secretive. One night on the way back to the hotel, she was somewhere else. She didn't even hear a word I was saying to her. We get back to the room and she changes into a bathing suit. I ask where she's going. She tells me she's agreed to meet Layla at the pool. I give her a little while and I head down there. I had my own suspicions as to what was going on. And sure enough, she's backed up against the side of the pool, fucking Mark. I head back up to the room, trying everything I can to control my anger. She comes back in and tells me she wants to explain. I told her there was no need to explain. Then I told her to get her shit and get out. She shows up the next day at the arena with this bruise on her arm and tells everyone I grabbed her. She had everyone believing it. Everyone but John, Janie, Randa and Mike anyway. I never laid a hand on her. I swear that to you."

"I believe you." She said. "What about Candice?"

"Candice and I had a casual arrangement. Whenever either of us needed…company, we'd get together. It was working out well. Until John found out. He made us break it off. Told us both we were better than that." Randy chuckled and shook his head. "Ever the hopeless romantic. I agreed to break it off but I swore off women. Especially divas. And then we started talking on the website and here we are." She nodded.

"Why were you so afraid to tell me this? Were you afraid I was going to believe her? She's got the words Sealy Posterpedic tattooed on her back. And as far as Candice…..there's nothing wrong with having a friend with benefits…..it's over now though right?"

"Yeah. It was over way before we started our public squabbles backstage." He said. "What happened with you and Phil?" Mara looked down at her leg where their hands rested holding each other. She sighed deeply and looked up at him.

"He bought into his own hype. He won the title and started spending more and more time in AJ's locker room. I called him on it and he used his weight backstage to get me reassigned. He kicked me out of our house. I moved to Smack Down and after much badgering from Randa and one really weird date with Heath Slater, here we are." Randy put his hand on her cheek.

"Phil always was an asshole. You know that's part of the reason I never talked to you before. Well that and my intense hate for most of the divas." He said causing her to smile. "He made you doubt yourself."

She nodded. "I questioned everything after that. What I could have done to make him stay with me, what she had that I didn't. I guess a part of me wondered if she was prettier than me."

He leaned in and kissed her, deepening it almost instantly. She moaned against his mouth and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as he laid her back on the bed and hovered over her. He pulled back to look at her, brushing some hair out of her face. "You're gorgeous." He said kissing her. "You're sweet." He said kissing her again. "And you can kick her ass." Mara laughed and smiled up at him. "Don't let what that one asshole thinks of you dictate the rest of your life."

"Follow your own advice." Randy smiled down at her. "Let's make a deal…I won't let Phil's words echo in my head anymore if you don't let what Michelle did control you anymore. Right here, right now…..we both let it go and focus on this." She said taking his hand. "You and me." He smiled and leaned down with his lips inches above hers.

"You and me." He said as he leaned down and kissed her again deeply. His lips had just made it down to her neck when his cell phone rang and he groaned against her skin. "Goddamn…..Cena has lousy fucking timing." He said as he answered it. "What?" He said as he sat up.

"Oh…did…uh…..did I interrupt something?" John asked with an obvious smirk in his voice.

"That's none of your business. Did you need something?"

"Yeah. Dinner and movie night in mine and Janie's room…..in 30."

"I'll ask Mara if we're up to it."

"Oh from the pant in your voice, I'd be willing to bet at least one of you is up." John said.

"HAHAHAHAHA. You're hilarious and by the way, I owe you an interruption. I'll call you back in 10."

"Hurry your ass up. I need to know how many pizzas to order." Randy hung up and then walked over to Mara who had gotten up off the bed and was standing across the room.

"You wanna go to dinner and a movie night in Cena's room?"

"You know they just want us there so they have an audience when they start making out right?" Randy nodded. "Sure why not. Who says we will be paying attention to the movie or the other people in the room anyway?" He looked at her.

"And what does that mean?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in and kissed him. She smiled at him when she pulled away.

"You'll see. Call him back and tell him I want a ham and pineapple pizza and that we will be there in 15." He smiled and kissed her again and gave her ass a swat as she walked past him and into the bathroom. He pulled his phone back out and called John.


	12. Chapter 12

John hung up the phone and laughed a little as he walked back over to the bed where Janie was sitting. "What's got you smiling?"

"Cock blocking Orton. I think I interrupted something when I called him." John said.

"If they were fooling around, that means they talked." Janie said.

"And if they talked that means that they told each other the truth." Randa said as she leaned her head on Mike's chest.

"It's still weird to see them all mushy instead of being ready to kill each other." Mike said.

"But it's a good weird." Janie said smiling as there was a knock on the door. She got up and answered it and smiled when she saw Randy and Mara standing there holding hands.

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Randy sat on the end of the bed, his mind still racing about what they'd been doing before John had called. He'd been seconds away from pulling her shirt away from her body and feeling the skin beneath with his fingertips. Sudden images of his pressing slow, tender kisses to the skin as his fingers dipped lower and lower flashed into his mind and he cussed John somewhere in his head for being such a party pooper. He and Mara had been having a great time all on their own. And Randy was suddenly wishing like hell that he'd thrown the phone across the room and shown Mara just how much it meant to him that she had believed him when he'd told her to truth. He smiled when she walked out of the bathroom ready to go and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him before he kissed her on the tip of her nose.

"You know we could skip pizza and a movie and have our own fun here." Randy said. "I'm sure I can be a lot more entertaining that the movie anyway."

"I'm sure you can be. And believe me that is something that I definitely want us to explore. In all its glorious detail. But we've already committed us to going and it would be a little rude of us to cancel." She said.

"This from the girl who asked me if I was trolling for hookers." He said causing her to smile.

"Well that was when I hated you." She said.

"You mean you don't hate me anymore?" he asked smiling. She smiled mischievously and turned to grab her purse.

"Nah, now it's just a slight dislike." He laughed and shook his head as he wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked out of the room.

"I'm wearing you down." He said as they knocked on the door to John's room.

"Maybe." She smiled.

"I'll have to keep working on it." He said as Janie answered the door.

"That was way longer than 15 minutes." Janie said.

"Who started the clock? And if I remember correctly, I once waited in a restaurant at a table for you and John for nearly two hours." Mara said. Randy looked over at her. "It was my birthday and John was paying. Free dinner is free dinner."

"I told you I was sorry about that didn't I?" John asked.

"As you were tucking the tail end of your shirt into your pants." Mara added. "And the smile on your face said otherwise."

"They're really good about that." Randa said.

"You're one to talk. At least they do it away from the table. Get a couple of drinks in you and you're practically humping Mike in front of everyone."

"Unlike Cena, I am not going to apologize. Have you seen the way my husband looks without a shirt?"

"A little flabby?" Randy said laughing at the look on Mike's face.

"Flabby my ass." Mike said.

"I wasn't going to say anything but I'm surprised you don't squish poor Randa to death." Randy said laughing and ducking as Mike threw a pillow at him. John smiled and shook his head. He hadn't seen Randy like this in a long time and it was good to see this side of his friend again.

"Alright, enough bullshitting. Let's start the movie."

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The third time Randy's phone beeped in the middle of the movie, John paused it and leaned over and grabbed the phone out of his hand.

"You've got to be kidding me. You two are sitting right beside each other and you're texting each other like you're in middle school?"

"Talking during the movie is rude." Mara said.

"Who texts sappy shit like 'Your hug is an instant stress buster.'

"I believe Janie said something like that to you last week." Randy said as he grabbed his phone back from John.

"Go."

"What?"

"Get out of here and spend time with your girlfriend. Randa's pretty much asleep on Mike so they should probably go soon and I want to spend some time with my fiancé anyway. So go. Get out of here. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Which pretty much gives us free reign to do whatever we want." Randy said. "But you don't have to tell me twice." He grabbed Mara's hand. "We're out of here."

They walked out the door and headed down the hallway toward their room. Randy kind of hoped that they could pick up where they left off before they'd gone to John's room but he wasn't going to push her. She gave his hand a little squeeze and he looked at her, smiling as they stopped in the hallway a little ways away from their room and she came to stand in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Something on your mind?" She asked.

"Just thinking about how great it's going to feel to cuddle up beside you in bed." He said as he leaned in and kissed her.

"Awww, how knew the Viper had a soft side?" They heard from the side of the hallway. They broke the kiss and Randy's arms wrapped around her waist a little tighter, anger flaring in his blue eyes as he stared at the man who standing there. "Boy, if word of this got around, nobody would be able to take you seriously. Seems Mara's ruined you the same way she tried to ruin me." Randy gave her a gentle squeeze when he felt her slump a little in his arms.

"There something I can help you with Phil? If not, I was about to take Mara into our hotel room and show her what it's like to be with someone who doesn't have his head completely up his ass or Paul Heyman's nuts in his mouth." Phil smirked a little and shook his head.

"You can hurl all the insults you want. You'll find out soon enough that she's a real pain in the ass when she's not in your bed." Phil said. "At least she knows the only thing she's good for." Randy went to lunge at him but Mara held him back. Phil laughed a little and continued to walk down the hallway. "You guys have a nice night now." He threw back over his shoulder as he walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

Mara walked around backstage a few weeks after the run in in the hotel hallway with Phil. Randy had done everything he could to let her know that he didn't believe Phil's words and that she shouldn't either. Still, his words got to her and made her feel as insecure as she did the day Phil had dumped her backstage. Randy looked over at her as they walked side by side on their way to catering and decided he needed to do something to let her and everyone else know that he was serious about their relationship. But mostly it would be a message to Mara that he adored her. He'd be sure to make sure Phil was in the room too so he could get the message loud and clear that Mara would never want him again.

The minute they walked through the door, he seemed to use the same sense of sight he had in the ring and quickly scanned the room. He saw that Michelle and her little entourage were in the room and so was Phil. He smirked to himself and pulled her hand to stop her from walking in. She turned to look at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he pulled her to him.

"Kissing you in front of God and everybody so that you know I love you and I don't give a rat's ass who knows it or has something to say about it." He said as he leaned in and kissed her. He felt her smile against his lips and he deepened the kiss, holding her against him with his arm around her waist. It had been the first time that he'd told her he loved her, he realized. The first time he'd said it anywhere outside of his own head. She pulled back to look at him, her arms wrapped around his neck and smiled at him.

"I love you too."

"You hear that everybody? I love this woman and she loves me. And I don't care who has a burr up their ass about it or who thinks she's going to be bad for my image or if you believe all the rumor mongering whores that happen to work for this company. I love Mara and I don't care who knows it. Because when you're in love, nothing else in the world matters but the happiness of the person who has your heart." He grabbed her hand and they walked back to his dressing room where he locked the door. She turned to look at him and bit her lip. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and crushing her against his chest.

"I know that wasn't exactly the most romantic way to break that news to you. But it's true. I love you. I'm in love with you. When I'm not with you, I want to be. When I am with you, I don't ever want to leave again. And I couldn't keep it to myself anymore. I want to shout it from the rooftops that you're the woman who has my heart and that nothing and I mean nothing in this world matters to me more than you do." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

"It was the perfect way to tell me you loved me. And I hope you know I really do love you too. You're the sweetest, kindest man I've ever met. And as we stand here professing our love for each other, it is still a little hard for me to imagine that just a few months ago, we hated each other." He laughed.

"What can I say? You're a hot girl and a fantastic kisser." She smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself. Now since I don't have a match tonight, I'm going to head back to the hotel and arrange a little surprise for you. You make sure you get showered and head right back after your match."

"Ooh, a surprise huh? Do I get a little hint?"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait and see." She said as she kissed him and grabbed her things. "Oh and don't get too beat up during your match." She said with a wink. She unlocked the locker room door and walked past John and Mike who had just walked up. They looked at Randy standing there with the goofiest smile on his face and then looked at each other.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" John asked.

"She loves me. She's been in such a mood these last few weeks after that douche bag ran his mouth at us in the hallway. So when we went to catering, I pulled her to me and I told her I loved her. And she loves me back."

"Wait, you told her you loved her?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I did. Because I do. I love her."

"Damn, I can't believe Randa had to stop and pee three times before we left the hotel. We missed everything."

"You're the one who knocked her up. Don't blame that on her." John said. "But this is huge. You actually said the L word. How did it feel?"

"Kind of like I was going to throw up if I didn't say it. I mean I've said it a million times in my head. But I couldn't keep it to myself anymore. I had to tell her. And she loves me back."

"So where is she off to now?"

"She said she was headed back to the hotel to arrange a surprise for me. She said since she didn't have a match, she was heading back and that she wanted me to come back to the hotel right after my match. She also said she wanted me to shower and not to get too beat up during my match."

"Oh you are so getting some." Mike said causing the two of them to look at him. "What? The first time that Randa and I had sex, she went back to the hotel text me and told me to shower and change and head to her room when I got back to the hotel. That surprise is her my friend. In all her naked glory waiting for you to rock her world."

Randy looked over at John. "Do you think Mike's right?" John shrugged.

"It would make sense. So you better talk to Stephen and ask him about taking the brunt of the match. You know Kaitlyn loves to play nurse with him anyway."

"Yeah, Red shares too much about his sex life." John smiled.

"After tonight, you can return the favor."

"I gotta go. Gotta go check on the wife. But we will see you in the morning for breakfast if you're able to walk that is." Mike said as he walked to the door of the locker room. Randy rolled his eyes as they left and then sat down on the couch in the room in anticipation of what Mara had in store for him when he got back to the hotel.


	14. Chapter 14

Mara walked into the hotel room she and Randy shared and put her things down. When she'd left the arena, she'd stopped by the local mall and picked up a few things. She'd been talking to Randa earlier in the week about how best to approach the subject of sex. Randa had given her the story on her first time with Mike without too much detail and Mara had smiled at the idea. She'd sit sometimes and watch him as he was getting ready for a match or when he'd come out of the bathroom fresh from a shower. She'd take the way his clothes fit him. How they hugged him in all the right places, how his chest would move up and down when he breathed. She knew the contour of his abs by heart, tracing them over and over again in her mind. But she hadn't been able to bring herself to broach the subject of sex. No matter how badly she'd wanted to. Not until he'd told her and everyone else today that he loved her.

She picked up the phone and ordered some strawberries, whipped cream and champagne from room service and headed for the bathroom. She filled the garden sized bathtub with hot water and lit the candles around the tub. She made sure the scented oil she'd bought was sitting nearby so she could finally run her fingers over those delicious abs and keep right on going. She heard the knock on the door and opened it as the room service guy came in with the cart. She smiled and tipped him before she changed into the outfit she'd bought. Black lace chemise that came down to the middle of her thighs with a slight slit in the sides. She pulled her hair down, letting the curls tumble around her shoulders. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. He'd be speechless, she told herself. And this would be a night she'd never forget.

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Randy and Stephen walked back to the locker room after their match.

"Thanks so much for taking the brunt of that."

"Hey, you explained the situation and I completely understand. Now get in the shower and get back to the hotel. You've got a beautiful girl waiting on you." Stephen said. Randy nodded. Stephen laughed. Randy walked into the locker room and got his things to take a shower. He was nervous. More nervous than he cared to admit. He wasn't even sure she was planning to have sex with him. Not that the thought hadn't run through his mind a million times a day. He'd been dreaming about it since their first date.

But now that it might actually be happening, he felt a little self-conscious. Almost as if this was his first time all over again. He finished his shower and got dressed before grabbing his bag and heading back to the hotel. He rode the elevator up, the anticipation of what was waiting for him building a little more with each second. He walked down the hallway to his room and stopped right outside the door, taking in a deep breath before he slid the keycard in the door and walked in. He dropped his bag by the door and walked a little further into the room. He didn't see her at first, but he looked around and saw the steam coming from the bathroom.

He walked in and found her sitting on the side of the tub, a glass of champagne in one hand, the other gently floating through the water and the bubbles that were there. His eyes roamed over her as she sat there, the nervousness he'd felt before being replaced by the overwhelming desire. God, he wanted her so badly and he let out a low moan as he stood there propped against the door frame.

"This is a nice surprise." He said. She looked up at him and smiled, standing from the edge of the tub and walking across the room to him. She handed him the glass of champagne and leaned up kissing him. He accepted this kiss, deepening it as he wrapped his arm around her and pulling her to him. She pulled back after a while and smiled at him.

"Are you tired after your match? Because if you are, we could have a nice relaxing soak in the tub and I could give you a massage to help your muscles. Then we could go to bed." He smiled and looked at her as she pulled the nightie over her head and slowly sank into the warm water. He downed the champagne in a few sips and pulled his shirt over his head. He licked his lips as he watched her in the tub, her arms slicing through the water and gathering the bubbles around her. A moment later, he was standing at the edge of the tub, completely naked. She smiled up at him seductively and floated over to him as he stepped inside the tub with her. "I was wondering if you were going to stand out there looking at me all night."

"Oh there's a lot I want to do with you tonight but standing there looking at you was definitely not on the list." He said as he wrapped an arm around her crushing her to his side. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, his hand running down her side and her thigh. He pulled her leg slightly and she was straddling his lap. His hand went to either side of her, holding on to her hips and running them up to gently caress her ass that then finally rest on the small of her back.

She pulled back to look at him, her hands running down his chest, feathering over his rock hard abs and continuing lower until she held him in her hands. She splattered kisses on his neck and chest, working him in and out of her hands as she did. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and letting a slow, deep moan once again escape his lips as she continued. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was watching him, taking in the pleasure she was bringing him with a small smile on her lips.

He smirked at her and pulled her to him kissing her. His lips traced her neck, hands roaming over her curves and then tangling in her hair as he again kissed her. His hand disappeared into the water. He smiled when she arched herself toward him, her hands going up to the edge of the tub. He leaned up and kissed her. He pulled away from her and got out of the tub offering her his hand. She smiled and took it getting out of the tub on shaky legs. He held his arm around her and they made it to the bedroom in what seemed like three steps. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply, urgently as they fell backward on the bed. He wasted no time kissing down her neck, her breasts and continuing lower and lower until his mouth was at work on her, his tongue exploring every part of her. It was like a drug. The way she tasted, the way her body arched with every move he made, the moans that escaped her lips. He worked his way back up to her lips, and looked into her eyes as he entered her gently. His breath caught in his throat and he kissed her hand as she brought it up to brush his cheek. He started to move, his pace slow and steady.

Mara couldn't believe this was actually happening. That they were actually making love. And she couldn't believe who amazing it felt. She'd never felt anything so spiritual, so emotional. With every shift of Randy's hips, with every thrust of him inside her, she was more convinced that they were two halves of the same whole. That they were meant to be. She felt herself go over the edge, her whole body feeling like a tingling ball of fire. She opened her eyes and looked at him through the haze of pleasure. He leaned down and kissed her, his breath heavy, sweat dripping off his brow and mixing with her own. With one final, deep push he released himself deep inside her with a whispered 'I love you'. She smiled up at him.

"I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

Mara woke up the next morning wrapped in Randy's arms, his blue eyes watching her as she slept comfortably on his chest. There was a small smile that played on his lips and she returned it before she leaned up and kissed him softly.

"Good Morning." He whispered.

"Good Morning." She whispered back.

"I wish we didn't have to get out of this bed. I could lay here all day holding you." She smiled again and ran her hand down his face softly.

"Surely holding me wouldn't be the only thing we'd do if we were in this bed all day." He laughed softly, the vibration of it resonating through them both.

"We can revisit that after the show tonight." He said kissing her on the head and getting up from the bed. "Right now, I need a shower and we need to eat. For some reason, I am starving." She smiled and got up from the bed and took his hand that he'd held out and followed him to the shower. An hour later, they were headed to the arena after stopping for a quick breakfast. He kissed her as she headed off to the Diva's locker room and he walked toward John's locker room smiling. He knocked on the door and walked in when John answered.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up. We missed you at breakfast. I thought Janie was going to blow a gasket. She was blowing your phone up."

"And I kept trying to tell her that you were occupied and wouldn't answer the phone." Mike said smiling. "So uh, how did your night go? Was I right?" Randy smiled as the night before flashed through his mind and Mike laughed. "I totally called that one. So do we get details?'

"No. No details. Ever." John said causing Randy to laugh.

"Good. Because you wouldn't get them anyway." Randy said sitting down on the bench.

"Oh come on! You've got to give me something. My wife hates me right now." Mike said.

"And whose fault is that?" John asked.

"Anyway, so do we know the lineup for tonight or what?" Randy asked.

"Stephanie hasn't posted it yet but rumor has it that Phil isn't real happy with your announcement in catering yesterday." Mike said.

"You believe everything the rumor mill says?" Randy asked.

"No. Not normally. But he was talking to her when we got here."

"If he wants to call me out, let him. He's the one that gave her up. And it's just lucky for me , he did. Now, how about we go loosen up for our matches? Wouldn't want twinkle toes to outshine you out there tonight Mikey." Randy said smiling. John and Mike nodded and they headed to the ring to train.

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Mara walked into the Diva's locker room and smiled when she saw that Janie and Randa were already there. "Good Morning girls. How are you today?"

"We're fine. We missed you at breakfast." Janie said smiling.

"Sorry about that. We slept in."

"Oh gross. That means you had sex. And believe me when I tell you that nothing good can come from it. You have it enough and you'll end up spending three months in the bathroom either peeing or puking your guts up. And then you'll eventually get fat." Randa said. "God, I hate Mike." Janie and Mara laughed.

"You do not. You'll get over it. And you'll have a cocky little version of him before long…..come to think of it, I don't know if that's a good idea after all." Janie said. Mara laughed again. "So how was your night?"

"Fantastic." Mara said smiling.

"We don't get any more details than that?"

"I'm a lady and a lady doesn't kiss and tell." Mara said. They looked up as the locker room door opened up and Michelle walked in. Mara rolled her eyes as she looked over at Randa and Janie.

"Well, well well…..if it isn't the three biggest mistakes that ever happened to the Diva's division."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. Keep practicing. You'll get better." Mara said.

"Oh she's got a mouth on her now that she's finally fucked Orton. News flash honey, I've been on that ride before."

"And every other ride on Smackdown from what I understand." Mara said. "I mean I'm not saying you're a whore or anything but…when your ring gear is sponsored by Sealy Posturepedic, it's kinda obvious what your best position is." Mara said. Michelle pushed her.

"You better watch your back bitch. I've got more pull than you think."

"You have given quite a few hand jobs haven't you? You want a fight, let's just go to Steph and get her to make it official. But let me tell you this…you will stop running your pathetic dick sucking mouth about Randy. "

"And if I don't?"

"I'll rip your fake ass platinum blonde hair right out of your head." Michelle stepped toward her and Janie stood up between the two of them.

"How about we go get Randa a snack from catering?" Janie said looking at Mara. Michelle walked past Mara and bumped her shoulder as she did. Mara shook her head and the three of them walked to catering.

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Phil walked down the ramp way as John, Mike and Randy were standing in the ring. He'd talked to Stephanie and fixed it to where he'd have Randy in the ring one on one. And he'd make for damn sure he didn't pull any punches. Randy and John noticed him walking in the direction of the ring and Randy rolled his eyes as he got closer and propped his arms up on the bottom rope.

"You guys done. I need to loosen up for my match."

"Yeah, ring is all yours." Randy said grabbing his stuff. "I need to go check on Mara anyway."

"Afraid you didn't do a good enough job last night?" Phil asked. "I remember my nights with her. How eager to please she was. How wild she can get." Randy walked to the ropes as Phil slid inside. "Aww, what's the matter Orton? Don't like the fact that you got my sloppy seconds?"

"I'm not the one with the problem. You've been walking around her like God's gift, calling yourself the Best in the World…and yet every time I turn around, you're there with some snide remark about my relationship with Mara. Sounds to me like you're the one with the problem." Randy said as he walked out of the ring and up the ramp with John and Mike. Phil looked over at Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose.

"I want him hurt and I want him hurt badly." Phil said. "Don't pull any punches and don't sugar coat anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Did I stutter? I want what you did to his shoulder to look like child's play. I want it to be worse than when Wade tossed him down the steps. I want him to taste his own blood and struggle to breathe. Maybe then he'll get the message that HE isn't the Best in the World. I am. You know what you have to do." The three men nodded and looked at each other. "Well don't just continue to stand there, get your asses in here and help me get ready for my match."

Phil never noticed that there was someone who had heard their plan. Someone who got up as quickly as he could without being too conspicuous and headed backstage and warn Randy.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Since it took me so long to update this story….I have decided to give you not one but two chapters for your enjoyment. LOL. I hope you guys enjoy and thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites and follows. It means so much to me.

Stephen strolled around backstage hoping that he'd find Randy before his match and warn him. He hadn't been able to find him in the locker room area and it was almost show time. He sighed to himself and decided that he'd go to the gorilla and wait. If Phil's cronies did decide that they'd actually do what he asked, he'd go out and lend support. Randy walked up to the gorilla position shortly before his match that night. "Hey Sheamus…"

"Hey fella, listen….I heard Phil talking to his little ass puppets earlier about hurting ya for real. I know they're supposed to interfere in the match tonight and I just want ya to know that if I need to…I'll come out there and help you whoop some arse." Randy nodded his head and clapped Stephen on the shoulder seconds before his music hit and he joined Kane and Daniel Bryan in the ring.

*The in ring stuff will be in bold letters*

**Everything was going according to plan in the match against 3MB. Randy went up for an RKO on Drew McIntyre when out of now where he was leveled with a spear from Roman Reigns.**

"**Did you see that spear from out of nowhere by Reigns?" Michael Cole yelled into the headset.**

"**Of course we did you moron, we're sitting right here." JBL replied.**

"**Aw, Orton is busted open, he's bleeding. We need to get some help out here for him." Lawler said.**

**In the ring, the spear had taken Randy a little by surprise and he'd fallen on the same shoulder he'd hurt a few weeks earlier. Pain shot through him and he was so focused on that he never saw the right hook Ambrose was throwing at him until it was too late. The blow connected full force with his jaw and his head whipped to the side. There was a knee to his ribs from out of nowhere it seemed and then another jab to his already injured jaw. He could taste the blood in his mouth and he could feel the pain running through him. Kane and Daniel where fighting off the other two members at ring side the best they could and Randy was determined that he wasn't going to go out without a fight. He punched Ambrose full force in the nose and blood started flowing almost immediately. Randy saw a flash of pale white and red and knew at that moment that Stephen had kept his word. He was thankful for the momentary breather but didn't have a lot of time to react when Rollins came at him with a hard right knee to his already burning ribs. Randy managed to grab his leg and drag him down with him both of them landing on the younger man's foot. Rollins yelled in real pain and Randy elbowed him in the lip. **

No more blows were exchanged after that as Reigns grabbed the other two and they hopped the barricade to safety having done at least a little of the damage that Phil had wanted them to do. Randy looked over at Stephen as he helped him up and they stood propped against the ropes. His jaw was already starting to bruise, his lip was swollen and bleeding and his ribs burned. He knew that he'd probably get called into Stephanie's office for this but he wasn't going to let them sit there and beat the shit out of him without a fight. He pushed away the flurry of refs and EMTs that had surrounded him and walked backstage. Mara was waiting at the curtain.

"Oh My God, look at you."

"I'm alright. You should see the other guys." He said smirking. She hit in playfully in the ribs and he winced. "Ow."

"Sorry. But you shouldn't joke like that. You could have been seriously hurt. And I don't know what the hell Roman, Seth and Dean were thinking but you wait until I get my hands…."

"Don't. Don't talk to them, don't go near them, don't worry about them. I've got them handled. I'll go to the trainer's room and get checked out if you'll go with me and then we can head back to the hotel and you can nurse me back to health. But you've got to promise me that you won't go near those guys okay?" Mara was a little taken aback by the emotion in his eyes and she nodded her head. "Good. Now you go get our stuff and I'll meet you at the trainer's room okay?" She nodded again and leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before she headed off toward the locker room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell was that out there? Huh? You better be damn glad that Orton isn't more seriously hurt than he is. Otherwise, the three of you would be out on your asses!" Triple H said as he paced back and forth in front of the wrestlers. "What the hell gave you the idea to throw actual punches?"

"Ah, come on. They just got a little carried away. It happens in the heat of battle some times. Seems I recall you actually nailing someone with the handle of that sledgehammer and Jericho did rip your quad off the bone with the walls….it happens sometimes. And I'm sure that this very stern warning you just gave them will have them making sure they're in check from now on…..right guys?" Paul Heyman said as he stood leaned against the wall. Triple H cut his eyes over at the older, rounder man and looked back at the three standing before him.

"Each one of you is fined 10,000.00 and if you ever, and I do mean ever get the idea in your thick skulls to pull shoot punches without my express permission and say so, you'll live to regret it. Now get the hell out of my face. The three men scurried off as quickly as they could leaving Triple H and Heyman standing there.

"I knew you'd see things my way."

"Nobody sees things your way Heyman. You just make sure that you tell Punk that the ring is no place to handle his personal problems. If he as a problem with Orton, he needs to handle it himself outside of the ring. Like a man." Paul Heyman smiled at him and pushed himself away from the wall.

"Oh I assure you, he will." And with that he walked away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Phil sat back in the chair and looked at the two people sitting in front of him. He'd just offered them something big. Something that was guaranteed to put an end to Randy Orton once and for all.  
"So you want us to help you set it up so he finds you and Mara in what could be considered a compromising position?"

"Yep. "

"And in return, you're willing to lose your match at Wrestlemania against me and let my streak by intact?"

"Yep. All Blondie has to do is wait for the cue and run her mouth. You are still good at running your mouth right?" Michelle rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, once she gets Orton good and pissed, he'll round the corner and see me with Mara. She'll swear nothing happened, he'll flip out….long story short they're history and both back to being miserable sad sacks like they were before."

"And what do I get out of this?" Michelle asked.

"How would you like to win that ridiculous butterfly belt again?" Phil asked.

"You could do that?"

"I can take care of it." Michelle looked at Mark and nodded.

"You got yourself a deal." Phil smiled.

"Great. I'll let you know the time and the place."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Would you stop worrying? I'm fine. I've got a bruised jaw and ribs and the blood was from where I bit the inside of my lip. Turns out I did more damage to myself that they actually did to me." Randy said to Mara as they drove toward the hotel.

"Yeah, thanks to Stephen. If he hadn't heard their plan and decided to jump in, God knows what they would have done to you."

"Are you saying I can't handle myself?"

"No. I'm saying three against one in an actual street fight are not fair odds. I'm glad you had someone there to help you."

"I'm glad I've got a hot nurse to take care of me for the night." He said causing her to smile and her expression to soften a little. "Don't worry okay. I promise that whatever Phil tries next won't get to me. And I promise to get to the bottom of why he's doing this."

"I….I'm just worried. What if he does something to drive a wedge between us?" He leaned in and kissed her softly as they pulled in the space for the hotel.

"We can't let that happen. If we stick together and we have faith and trust in each other, that won't happen. I love you Mara. More than anything else in this world. And I won't let that asshole rip us apart. Okay?" She smiled and nodded as they walked up to their hotel room to rest. Randy knew Phil was up to something. But he'd meant what he said to Mara. He wasn't going to let whatever Phil was trying to do tear them apart.


End file.
